Prince William Says He Talks to His Kids About Homelessness on 'the School Run': 'We Talk About What We See'

The Prince of Wales announced a five-year project on homelessness with The Royal Foundation in a new interview

Prince William says he has an open dialogue with his children about the issue of unhoused people.

The Prince of Wales — who is father to Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, with his wife Kate Middleton — shared that he talks about homelessness with his kids “on the school run” in a new interview with The Sunday Times, as he gears up to launch a project on homelessness later this month.

“On the school run, we talk about what we see. Driving backwards and forwards [in London], we regularly used to see people sitting outside supermarkets and we’d talk about it,” William, who is patron of U.K. homeless charity Centrepoint, told the outlet.

The prince, 40, said he asks his children: 'Why are they there? What’s going on?’' and added that the discussions are important for his family. “I think it’s in all our interests, it’s the right thing to do, to expose the children, at the right stage, in the right dialogue, so they have an understanding,” he continued.

“They [will] grow up knowing that actually, some of us are very fortunate, some of us need a helping hand, some of us need to do more and help others improve their lives,” William said.

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William also said that he had been thinking about "‘When is the right time to bring George or Charlotte or Louis to a homeless organisation?’" and added that when it can be balanced with his children's schooling, "they will definitely be exposed to it."

In the The Sunday Times interview the prince also revealed that he will soon be launching “a really big project” focused on unhoused people. Working on the five year project is "nerve-racking,” William said, but added that he is "really excited."

"I’ve been waiting for the right time to do this," the prince said of the project, which launches at the end of the month through the Royal Foundation that William runs with the Princess of Wales. It aims, the royal said, to tackle the issue of unhoused people. The Prince of Wales — who is also patron of U.K. charity the Passage that he visited as a child with his late mother Princess Diana — spoke in detail about how he feels homelessness is viewed, and what can cause it,

“There’s a lot of preconceived ideas around homelessness. There’s still stigma when actually a lot of people don’t understand the fundamental basics,” he said, before switching his focus to youth homelessness, which rose to 122,000 in the U.K. last year, according to U.K. charity Centrepoint. The figure is, the royal said, "way too high."

“A lot of youth homelessness is very hidden. If you actually sit down and hear from young people why they’re in their situation, it’s like a jigsaw. There are so many pieces that have had to come together or fall apart, that meant they’ve ended up where they are,” William said.

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Speaking of the project itself he added, “It’s bringing all the wonderful people and pieces together of the puzzle and allowing the whole country who care about each other to go, ‘Ah, I see what the state of play around homelessness is and I want to help.’

“And from that, we can then get other councils in other parts of the country to copy.”

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The Prince of Wales' latest interview came as he and the Princess of Wales marked this year's Father's Day holiday by releasing a never-before-seen photo of William with his three children.

In the candid snap, Prince William smiles at the camera with his arms around Prince George and Princess Charlotte, who look up adoringly at their father. Meanwhile, Prince Louis stands behind William with his arms wrapped around him — and a giant grin!

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There was also a special touch honoring Queen Elizabeth, Prince William's late grandmother, in the photo. The Wales family sits on a bench that was a gift for Queen Elizabeth’s 90th Birthday in 2016.

According to Kensington Palace, the new photograph was taken on the Windsor Estate earlier this year by Millie Pilkington. From the looks of the royal children's wardrobes, the image was taken on the same day as the photo shoot that produced Prince Louis' 5th birthday portraits released in April. Prince Louis is wearing the same blue sweater over a checkered shirt — and it seems the entire family coordinated in the hue.

Kate, 40, did not appear in the Father's Day portrait, but royal watchers did get a glimpse of her ensemble in a portrait shared for Louis' birthday. In a photo where the royal mom pushes her son in a wheelbarrow, she sports a white and blue striped sweater.

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